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The War of The League Of Adana
The War of the League of Adana (Greek: Πόλεμος των απατεώνων) (Latin: Viris Bellum) (Turkish: Son Zafer) was one of the most decisive moments in the history of Anatolia, marking the final end of any Roman authority in the region. Lasting from 1437 to 1440, this war pitted the Byzantine Empire against the hordes of Turkey, united under Buyuk Baba Arzlan IV, and the Empire Bulgaria and ended in a significant Byzantine defeat. Although the Bulgarians were victorious, the victory would ignite building tensions, leading to the Turnip Revolt and the ascent of a Buddhist theocrat. Background Ever since he had ascended to the throne in 1414, Buyuk Baba Arzlan IV of the Karamanid Empire had not been openly conspired against or despised, but no respect had come his way because of his withered left arm, sickly appearance, and high-pitched voice. In an attempt to gain legitimacy among his subjects, he had made it his life goal to finally drive the Byzantine Empire out of Anatolia. However, in the decade before 1437, he had repeatedly failed in minor skirmishes, mostly owing to the tactical prowess of Basileus Constantine IX's son, Kornelios. However, in 1436, Kornelios fell while mountain climbing, sending him into a coma and rendering him unable to command. Sensing a golden opportunity, Arzlan hurriedly formed the League of Adana with Pyotr II of Bulgaria, who desperately coveted access to the Adriatic Sea, and went to war, bringing his Anatolian turkish subjects with him in a bid to yield a higher chance of victory. Battle of Kangiri Arzlan IV led his warriors to conquer from Canik to Bolu. However, startlingly soon into the warpath, one of the Byzantines' main armies, consisting of 10,000 troops, met Arzlan's forces of 8000, encamped on a hill. Outnumbered and in enemy territory, his troops were losing hope. According to legend, he heard one of his soldiers, a merchant boy who was drafted to fight for him, whispering into the sky, drowned out by the blowing wind. When Arzlan asked the boy what he was saying, he simply gestured toward one of the nearby mountains. The slope was indundated with rain clouds, meaning that a torrent of water would soon rush down the mountain and into the valley below, where the Byzantines had assembled. Thinking quickly, he ordered his men to form a line at the base of the hill, both keeping the Byzantines within range of the flash flood and keeping them distracted. The rank and file were confused, the Babas of the other hordes even more so, as he seemed to be giving up their tactical advantage. However, he simply told them that Ahura Mazda was delivering a miracle, and that if they ever lost their nerve, the miracle would not come. At first, the Byzantine numerical advantage began to tell. Watching from the hilltop, Arzlan began to panic as his center bent under the pressure. Then, just as it seemed that a breakthrough was taking place, the Byzantines noticed the wall of water bearing down on them. While the turks began an orderly retreat up the hill, ordered by Arzlan, half of the Byzantine army either drowned or went missing in the chaos, and the rest fled into the countryside in all directions. This victory finally earned the Buyuk Baba the legitimacy he so craved, as it seemed Ahura Mazda was on his side. Battle of Biga The battle of Biga was the killing blow to the Byzantine armies of Anatolia. The Byzantines had amassed a force of 15,000 against the Turkish force of 9000. Arzlan who was outnumbered did not lose his newfound faith, rather it attracted more peasants to his cause. Arzlan decided to spread the main body of his troops to be wide and thin. He decided to fight on foot instead of cavalry to inspire his men and show his faith in Ahura Mazda. He would dispatch a regiment of his cavalry to rout the vanguard troops. He told the left- and right-wing cavalrymen to only strike once the main body moves back. And so, the battle ensued. As told, the regiment tasked with routing the vanguard succeeded. The main body of the army was giving in to the pressure of the Byzantines. The main body receded slowly. Upon seeing this, the left and right wing attacked the sides of the Byzantine army. The cavalry that routed the vanguard troops had strike the rear of the Byzantines. The Turkish army had formed an encirclement of Byzantine troops. The battle seemingly reminded the Byzantines of their loss in the battle of Cannae in ancient times. The Turks slaughtered the Byzantines so much till there was blood flowing like a river. This battle had forced the Byzantines to retreat from Anatolia. Siege of Thessaloniki The Bulgarians decided to strike the Byzantines in the North. Tsar Pyotr II led an army of 6000 into lower Macedonia hoping to gain loot and territory. Unlike their Ramazan cousins, the Bulgarians fought in skirmishes without decisive victory. The Byzantines had forts to halt their advancements in the North. The Bulgarians had tried to siege the fort of Thessaloniki, but their efforts bore no fruit at first. The Bulgarians were sent an envoy of turkish engineers to assist in bringing down the walls. Despite this, the siege lasted for almost two years, owing to rumors of the Bulgarians slaughtering all they took captive sowing desperation into the defenders. Once the fort had fallen, all the soldiers poured into the city, killing the soldiers and taking the citizens as slaves. = End And Aftermath In the final relief effort of Thessaloniki in early 1440, Constantine IX was decapitated by one of the Padishah's footmen and died on the spot. His still-comatose son was crowned Kornelios VI. His wife and regent, Sophia, immediately sued for peace with the League, knowing that instability, in the form of the growing Hellenic League, would make victory impossible. Finally, in 1442, Kornelios VI awoke to a realm just over half the size it was when he went on that fateful trip, and a realm racked by a hellenic restoration movement, bitter, enraged, and eager for revenge. The Turnip Revolt Unlike among the Turks, where the victory ensured stability and prestige, Bulgaria's sacking of Thessaloniki and enslavement of Buddhists caused an already tense situation between the Buddhist majority of the peasantry and city-dwellers and the Tengri and Slavic ruling class to explode. A mystic named Boris Tarnovsky decided to speak against the authorities in the province of Sofia. Local governors did not think he was a threat. Boris was neither an influential monk nor a noble. They thought the nobles would have dismissed him as a fraud. Boris, although a scholar of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, he decided not to renounce the world but discover unorthodox methods to enlightenment. Boris continued his preaching to the people of Tarnovo. Even monks were attracted to his belief. Soon monks from Sofia decided to spread his word. They called Boris ‘The Turnip Buddha’ as an endearing nickname, as he had previously been a turnip farmer, contributing, if in a small way, to his word spreading across the country. When the news reached the Tsar, he decided to arrest and execute Boris. Soldiers tried to apprehend Boris, but his followers would not have let them through. A tense situation erupted when one of his followers was run through with a spear. The peasants who had armed themselves were told to only use violence when it was required by the situation. Violence ensued and thus began the Turnip Revolt, which would see the Tengri and Slavic Bogatyr Dynasty, which had ruled for over a century, be replaced by a Buddhist Tsar-Bodhisattva, Boris Tarnovsky. Minor Ramazanoglu-Byzantine Battles: Battle of Aksaray(1438)-Byzantine troops tried to recuperate from a nearby siege but were crushed by a dispatch force of Turkish forces. Battle of Adana(1438)- Byzantine garrisons attempt a last stand against Arzlan, but are soundly defeated. Battle of Denezli(1439)- Local uprising supported by Byzantines crushed by Arzlan Minor Bulgarian-Byzantine Battles: Battle of Kastoria- Byzantine garrisons are barely defeated by an oncoming force of Bulgarians Battle of Thessaly- Bulgarian hopes of advancing further into Greece are dashed by a crushing defeat at the hands of Constantine IX's main force.